At Midnight
by Bebedora
Summary: [Phoenix Universe. Set after the events of Phoenix] Laguna and his baby granddaughter share some quality time together. Fluff abound...Laguna sings!


At Midnight

_[Set in the Phoenix Universe]_

Squall Leonhart stared out at the bustling city of Esthar.

From high on his balcony in the Presidential Palace, he watched the metropolis as midnight overtook it. Even at this late an hour, the activity was frenetic. Crowded transport tubes shuttled residents off to their destinations and the brilliant lights of billboards and television screens twinkled in the distance. And from some twenty stories down, laughter echoed up from the streets.

The city and her residents never seemed to sleep.

Except one.

He instinctively wrapped his arms around the tiny bundle nestled against his chest.

The baby, dressed in a light short-sleeved chocobo-print sleeper, snoozed peacefully, drooling slightly on her father's thin shirt. Even now, when winter had plunged most of the planet into bitter cold, Esthar managed to keep quite comfortable in temperature. There wasn't so much as a slight chill in the air, even high up in the city.

Squall was grateful for that. He loved the way his daughter's soft skin felt against his own. There certainly were times when a blanket was needed, but now was not one of them. He leaned down and sniffed her soft hair, relishing in the fading scent of the baby shampoo that still hung on from her evening bath.

Jane had gone off to bed over an hour prior after nursing little Emily Raine one last time for the night. Squall had promised her he would place the baby in her crib soon after that and come to bed.

He lied.

He just couldn't put her down.

If you had asked him a year ago if he would have seen himself on this night, on this balcony, with his child in his arms, he would have called you crazy. Hell, he wasn't even engaged then.

And he certainly didn't have a mother…

…back then.

He sighed, turning his body to shield the baby from the wind that suddenly picked up. As he did so, he noticed a figure standing in the doorway. Squinting, he smiled.

"How'd you get in?"

The form moved closer, out of the darkness of the living room and onto the patio. The soft running lights along the railings illuminated his face. A wisp of long brown hair, not contained by his ponytail, blew across his cheek.

"I used my keycode. I hope you don't mind." Laguna moved closer to his son and peeked at the baby. "I didn't want to wake my beautiful little granddaughter and I figured you'd still be awake."

Squall turned back to face the city, giving the President an unobstructed view of his angelic granddaughter. She squirmed a bit in her father's arms before settling. "You want to hold her?"

Laguna beamed. "Always…but she looks really content. I'll let you hog her for right now."

"I don't 'hog' her, Laguna. She's mine."

"Yes you do!" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "You hogged her during dinner tonight!"

"I was feeding her! You were too busy shoving fries in your mouth."

Laguna sighed at the memory. "They _were_ good…"

Squall just shook his head and laughed softly into the breeze. The two men stood silently in the night, watching the city. Soon, the quiet was broken when the Commander's phone pinged. Squall recognized it right away as the non-emergency prompt from E-Garden. Nothing major, but it would more than likely still require his attention.

He scowled as he tread over to the table where his phone lay, picking it up with one hand to read the text. After a long moment, he huffed and turned towards his father.

"I've got to go back to Garden. There's an alarm in the armory. It's probably just a fluke, but I still need to see to it." He hesitated for a moment before offering Emily to Laguna. "Would you put her back in her crib for me? I need to hurry and I'm not dressed properly." He looked down at his bare feet and cactuar pajamas.

Laguna eagerly accepted the tiny bundle. The movement startled her awake and she began to cry softly. The President patted her on the back and shushed her, rocking her back and forth in his strong arms.

"You sure you're going to be okay?" Squall looked nervous.

"Go. We'll be fine. Won't we, darling?" Laguna looked down at the baby.

"Alright." Squall leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Be good for Grandpa." He laid a hand on Laguna's shoulder. "Thanks, Dad."

He turned and left, heading into his bedroom to change. Laguna stared down at his now wide-awake granddaughter. She cooed and smiled. He instantly felt his stomach flutter.

Never had been so much in love.

"Well, ol' Grandpa's got news for you, little lady." He turned to make sure Squall was gone before he smiled mischievously and winked. "Daddy thinks I'm going to put you to bed, but he's wrong! Yes he is!" He tapped her nose.

He walked over to the edge of the balcony and raised her slightly in his arms, so she could see the lights. "Tonight's too beautiful to waste sleepin'. So I'm going to teach you about the world—starting with Esthar!"

Emily squirmed in his arms. He took her tiny hand in his, letting her wrap her fingers around his pinky.

"Now, that's the city center." He pointed out into the distance. "There's a lot to see there! Theaters, restaurants, and a really good bar where Uncle Kiros and I once drank…" He stopped himself and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhhh…maybe I won't tell you about that just yet.

The baby blew a raspberry, her new-found trick.

"Hey, your dad'll have my head if we talk booze, young lady! Anyway, if you look to your left, you'll find the Airstation." He shifted their position. "That's where my big ship is kept! It's called the _Ragnarok._ You've been on it before, but I bet you don't remember. It looks like a dragon!"

Laguna bounced her slightly in his arms and made whooshing sounds. "Someday you and me'll go for a ride and I'll make the pilot fly super-fast!"

Emily babbled excitedly.

"I'll take you to Timber. Just you and me. There's this really cool hotel there with a train gate in the lobby." He furrowed his brows. "One time…it hit me in the head because I wasn't fast enough. But we don't discuss that ever again, alright?"

He gazed out at his city. He loved the way it looked a night.

"So, where were we?"

Emily flailed her arms in excitement. Laguna loved the way she reacted to his voice. Always happy. Completely smitten.

"We've talked about the city center and the Airstation; let's move out of Esthar, huh?" He took her hand and extended her arm along with his, pointing off to the horizon. "You see that weird-lookin' place _waaaaaay_ out there? That's Lunar Gate. Can you say 'Lunar Gate'?"

"Da-da-da-da-da."

"Close enough."

Before he could speak more, a tiny speck rocketed out from the far-off building, shooting into the darkness. It arced gracefully as it entered the bottom layer of the planet's atmosphere—on its way to the newly constructed space station in orbit.

"Ooh! I was hoping we'd get to see that! That's a pod taking someone to the space station!" He extended his finger and followed the capsule as it tracked out of sight, the flames from the engines slowly disappearing as it gained height. "I'll bet there's a scientist in there! Do you want to be a scientist when you grow up?"

Emily chewed on her fingers.

"Yeah, me neither. It's too hard for me. That's why I like bein' President." He bounced her in his arms. "Plus, I get a cool car and a big 'ol office with a comfy chair."

Laguna nuzzled his chin into the baby's cheek before kissing it softly.

"You can be whatever you want to be, you know that? A doctor…a military Commander…a mommy." Emily offered him a wide, toothless grin. "Who knows, you might even be President."

She blew another raspberry at him.

"Hey, it's not that bad of a job!" He tickled her chest. "But I'd prefer if you grew up nice and slow, alright? I missed everything with your daddy. I want to enjoy this time with you."

They stood there in silence, watching and listening as the city throbbed below them. Emily kicked her legs, her little toes squirming in her footie pajamas. After a long moment, as was usually the case with Laguna, he became restless.

"Let's go sit down, huh?" He spied a plush chaise lounge off to the side. "That thing looks super comfy!"

Laguna settled himself down, placing the baby on his lap. Once again, they sat in relative silence, Emily babbling every once and a while. He loved listening to her prattle on, talking about who-knows-what in her little language. She had only recently begun to jabber on her own, and took every opportunity to do so.

Several minutes passed, with Emily growing quieter as time went on. She finally stopped, finding more interest in playing with the buttons on Laguna's cargo pant pockets. She tried to pry one off, scowling when she was unsuccessful. Her lower lip began to quiver and Laguna knew he had only moments before meltdown.

He got an idea.

"You want to hear a song? You have to promise not to tell your daddy, though. He'd yell at me for the naughty words. It can be our little secret, okay?"

The baby shoved her fingers in her mouth, smiling around them. Her green eyes—inherited from a certain President—sparkled in the low light.

"Now, let's see if I can remember the good one that Ward made up." Laguna narrowed his eyes as he combed his memory, his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth. A long moment later, his eyes lit up and he exclaimed into the night.

"Got it!" He bent his knees and rested her at an incline, facing him. "Please don't be too critical of my singing. It's been a while."

Laguna cleared his throat and Emily blew another raspberry.

His voice was melodic, even from years of disuse.

_There once was a woman from Trabia…_

_Who had a chartreuse…_

Laguna's eyes bulged and he clapped his hands over his mouth. He could feel his face flush as the baby just wiggled obliviously in his lap, kicking her little feet into his stomach.

"Whoops! That's the wrong one!" He took another moment to find a better tune to share with his granddaughter. "Okay, I think I got it!"

He shifted his position on the lounger, and he and Emily both sunk deeper into the plush cushions. She settled down against his thighs and sighed.

_Of all the places I have been…_

_All the bullets I've put in men…_

_There's always one thing that makes me stoop…_

_My tummy when I have to poop!_

Laguna bellowed a great laugh into the darkness of the patio, taking Emily's tiny hands in his own and helping her to clap. He was obviously proud of his inappropriate song.

"Poop!"

Emily shrieked with laughter.

"You like that, do you?" Laguna smiled mischievously. "Poop!"

She snorted this time before letting out a hysterical laugh.

"Poop! Poop, poop, poop!"

Laguna couldn't breathe. His sides hurt from the laughing fit. He absolutely loved the sound of her laughter.

"Shhhh, now. We better cool it, or we'll wake up your mommy." He took a calming breath before whispering, "Poop!"

Emily giggled and grabbed at his hands.

"You know, for only four months old, you're pretty fun." He picked her up so she could face him, holding her against his body. She struggled to keep her back straight, so Laguna supported her with a strong hand. The little girl smiled a toothless grin and grabbed for his nose. "Pretty soon you'll be runnin' around and 'ol Grandpa will have a heck of a time keepin' up with you!"

She cooed again before rubbing her eyes and laying her head on his shoulder. Laguna melted. He loved the way she snuggled into him, putting her thumb in her mouth. He heard her start to suck on it, a tiny sigh escaping her tired lips.

"How's about some 'Grandpa wisdom', little lady?"

Emily babbled into his shirt, her thumb muffling her voice somewhat.

"Lemme give you a little advice about something that will hopefully save you a lot of headaches later in life. Always hang on to your keys." He rubbed small circles into her back, feeling her rhythmic breathing underneath his palm. "Make sure there aren't any holes in your pockets. I learned that the hard way, let me tell you."

The baby exhaled deeply, totally content in her grandfather's arms.

"Now, your Uncle Ward will try and tell you different, but don't listen to him. I didn't lose _all _the keys in the Lunatic Pandora. Just…most of them. And it didn't matter in the end anyway because, well…"

Laguna sighed, remembering that terrible day. He and his friends had barely escaped—Ward losing his ability to talk, and he nearly dying at the bottom of the cliff. Looking down at his sleepy granddaughter, he realized that it was all in the past. None of it mattered. All that _did_ matter was right there in his arms. And in the surrounding family apartments in the Palace. Everyone was safe…even Raine.

"Someday I'll tell you what happened in the Lunatic Pandora, kid. But for now, just forget about it. I'm gonna." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. The wind whipped up again, chillier than before, and Laguna shivered. The baby curled tighter into his arms, trying to stay warm. He looked around for a blanket. Finding none, he did the next best thing.

He gently laid the baby on his lap for a moment, careful to not let her roll off. He took off his outer shirt—a loud floral print—and used is as a makeshift cover. The tiny child stretched her arms and yawned for a brief moment before snuggling into her grandfather's shirt.

Laguna felt totally at peace. He watched as her eyes began to close, the little girl trying desperately to keep them open.

"Don't fight it, honey. It's time to go to sleep." He lifted her up to his chest and laid her there. Her warm breath tickled his skin. "Grandpa'll keep you safe."

Emily finally succumbed to sleep, her emerald eyes fluttering shut. Her little lips made instinctive sucking motions as sleep consumed her.

Laguna sat still for a long time, feeling Emily's little chest rise and fall pressed against his as she breathed. He wondered if she was dreaming.

Soon, his own eyelids began to droop, and before he knew it, he had been dragged into slumber.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

Squall strode into his apartment; instantly scowling when he saw the patio door was still thrown wide open.

"Laguna…" He muttered under his breath as he walked towards the balcony. "How many times have I asked you to close the—"

He stopped short at the sound of soft snoring. Tiptoeing onto the deck, he spotted the very top of his father's head poking out from behind the chaise cushion. Streaks of gray lined his brown hair. Not wanting to startle him, he quietly padded around the chair.

Laguna and Emily were fast asleep—both drooling.

The President had the baby cradled against his chest, arms wrapped protectively around her. She was swaddled in what appeared to be Laguna's shirt.

A soft smile crept over Squall's face. He knew he should take the baby to bed. It probably wasn't good for her to sleep outside at this young of an age, but he couldn't make himself take her from Laguna's arms.

They both looked so peaceful.

He sighed and went back into the living room and grabbed a throw blanket from couch. Quietly going back to the balcony, he draped the afghan over the two sleeping forms, making sure to keep clear of Emily's head and shoulders.

He wondered if he should stay out there with them, to make sure everything would be alright.

Looking at his father, his own tiny daughter snuggled in the man's arms, he knew she'd be safe. Laguna would never let any harm come to her. He'd protect and love her until his dying breath.

Squall leaned over and kissed the baby on the top of the head. He gently laid a hand on Laguna's shoulder. His voice was barely a whisper.

"You're a good grandfather…and a great Dad."

He turned and went inside, and within minutes he was asleep.

XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX XxX

_A/N: For all my Final Fantasy friends. I know I've been absent from the fandom for quite a while, but I never forgot about any of you. I hope you all like this one! -B_


End file.
